Actually... I have heard of problems with counterfeit merchandise at certain major internet-only retailers...
I think for something important like that, I'd buy from a regular big chain-store, not online from some unknown 3rd-part reseller who might have got a 'bargain' on 100 pallets of product that turns out to be low cost for a reason...
Well, now I have another "interesting" response, as follows:
"hell my name is (name) i would lote to buy the mandobird i live in (town) islet me know what works for you i am serious be dieting to take on mado give me a call before noon if you can (phone #) its my work # if i'm not there leave a message please thanks (name)"
Maybe I am just being too particular about selling to someone with basic grammar/writing skills?!?
Just a note. If you're worried about someone getting your personal information with your telephone number don't send them an e-mail. I can generally find out more about someone with their e-mail address than I can with their telephone number and if you send me an e-mail I know even more about you. Don't think you're anonymous, you aren't. Carry on.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
As to the first one, I have a possibility. Maybe it's an older person. (Maybe even older than I am.) They often stay up late. Have a flip phone and don't have texting in their plan. That's what my wife and I have. And he/she is hard of hearing. And he/she is leery of strangers and doesn't trust you, the seller to get him into your house. Everything seems polite. The only thing that seems unusual in this instance is that it's an electric mando. Maybe they didn't notice that or maybe it's something else.
I'm just saying that a number of the responses here assume the potential buyer is a scammer. It could be that this person is fearful of the seller.
Dale Ludewig
http://www.ludewigmandolins.com
I am always amazed at how poorly most folks write. However, in this case i imagine that he's replying from a cell phone and his poor typing is not getting autocorrected. This one seems more legit to me than the first one. I buy and sell a LOT on Craigslist (cars, instruments, appliances, etc.) and have never had a bad experience, but I have learned a lot about the various scams and can usually spot them. The first guy who doesn't want to get texts because of a hearing problem? That's a great reason for texting! There's no sound! However, it could be as Dale noted above.
As everyone else said, meet in a secure location during daylight.
It ain't gotta be perfect, as long as it's perfect enough!
LOOK at the first thing they recommend
Huntsville Police Department offered these 10 tips for Craigslist shopping.
Trust your instincts.
Don't go alone.
Insist to meet at a public place such as a police precinct.
Do not meet in a secluded area.
Do not invite strangers into your home, and do not go to theirs.
Be cautious when buying/selling high value items.
Perform the transaction during daylight hours.
If it sounds too good to be true, it normally is.
Tell a friend or family member about your intentions.
Take your cell phone with you.
" Practice every time you get a chance." - Bill Monroe
Trust your instincts young Skywalker.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
I say risk it. I tend to see things in a positive light; if the deal goes sour, at least you'll make local headlines - "Man felled by aspiring mandolinist with own little guitar-thingie"
Last edited by catmandu2; Feb-08-2018 at 9:54am.
Dale sort of beat me to it, while I was feeding my dog.
Even though 99.9% percent of people text, I don't and find it annoying. Same with email and having to check emails. Just call me on the phone and we will talk (about the instrument). Sounds simple, but when you start to spell all that out (in an email!) it makes you start to sound like a psycho...............when in reality, I just don't want to be bothered by the nuisance of technology -- which most people consider a convenience.
(and I should add, when you call I won't actually pick up, I'll look at your number and if I don't recognize it, well, just leave me a message and we can go from there..................once I understand that you are not a telemarketer or a bill collector, I'll call you right back......anyway, honest, I'm not a psycho, just a bit curmudgeonly and a little paranoid, but mostly just technology-challenged.)
Mostly, I remember the good ole days when the phone rang and it was always a friend or some good news.....nowadays, not so much.
That's not what the OP said in the first post. It got misquoted and changed (by the OP) in subsequent posts.
Here's the relevant part of the *first* post by the OP:
If the potential buyer had put a comma after the word "problem", it would have cut down on misinterpretations. I agree with the following comment:
Yup. Two separate things. But, both quoted by the OP at different times. Little details like that can make a big difference in meaning.
The rest of us reading this, aren't going to get an accurate picture of what's up, unless we have accurate info. Too many variables.
Looks like you are LUCKY to have TWO potential buyers, IMHO! The goal of selling is to actually SELL it, right? It's not like they are running for office and need to be vetted with such scrutiny. If they bring cash and hand it to you -- they are a GREAT BUYER. End of story.
meet in a bank they have cameras all over the place, even the parking lot.
I'm sorry.
Last edited by catmandu2; Feb-08-2018 at 1:38pm.
I would have no problems with that at all. I am 64...have tinnitus and some hearing loss. I do not have a cellphone and do not text. Everything is done through my PC and Skype on the PC. While the writing style of the request is a bit clunky it describes me pretty well.
Only three things to consider. Meet in a public place and cash. And make sure the ink doesn't smear on the bills.
My favorite Craigslist contact was a female, (allegedly, as I only spoke to her voice mail) who had a microphone with stand to sell. Would only text. Would not answer the phone, and wanted to meet at a mall parking lot nearby around 9PM. Did not want me coming to the house nor did they want to come to mine. I texted, "This is a microphone. I'd like to try it out. Should I bring my amplifier and portable Honda generator?" Needless to say I passed. I used the "More items for sale by this person" link. This same contact had volumes of random stuff for sale on Craigslist.
- - - Updated - - -
Basic, you say?
Ray Dearstone #009 D1A (1999)
Skip Kelley #063 Offset Two Point (2017)
Arches #9 A Style (2005)
Bourgeois M5A (2022)
Hohner and Seydel Harmonicas (various keys)
"Heck, Jimmy Martin don't even believe in Santy Claus!"
I've just about stopped texting due to my increased hearing loss. I really don't like talking on the phone either, due to mounting vision problems.
Ray Dearstone #009 D1A (1999)
Skip Kelley #063 Offset Two Point (2017)
Arches #9 A Style (2005)
Bourgeois M5A (2022)
Hohner and Seydel Harmonicas (various keys)
"Heck, Jimmy Martin don't even believe in Santy Claus!"
the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world
I'm beginning to see why I don't have much luck buying on CL........
I've had had good luck buying, amongst the people who have actually responded. I've managed to sell a few things too. Houston has a pretty good volume of music gear compared some smaller towns though. Probably the riskiest buy I made was a sight unseen Art & Lutherie 12 string guitar, but at the price it was being sold I figured worst comes to worst I could probably resell and break even. It ended up being a great guitar.
I think both offers should be followed up on, as neither sounds obviously bogus.
But for your information, here are some other reasons I often suspect scams:
1) The email starts out with "I will like to know if your..." instead of "I would like to know if..." To me this screams that it's a foreign bot created by someone who doesn't speak English. I get this response a LOT to my various ads. The rest of the wording is usually funky too, phrased in such a way that no one who is a native speaker would say it that way. (even though they have an American sounding name like Jason or Chad. Responding to an inquiry like this will often yield no response. They only wanted your e-mail address to sell.
2) You call the local number back and it's a text-only line, even though the ad says to call or text. I had this happen twice last week. It shows me that the seller isn't really local like he says he is. Probably just phishing for phone numbers to sell.
It ain't gotta be perfect, as long as it's perfect enough!
Update: Well, I feel a bit abashed now. Just met the fellow who sent the first response at the local cop shop and the deal went down without a hitch.
Maybe I am getting paranoid in my old age.
I really want to thank everyone who took the time to respond; without your input I might not have made the sale. Lesson learned.
Ray Dearstone #009 D1A (1999)
Skip Kelley #063 Offset Two Point (2017)
Arches #9 A Style (2005)
Bourgeois M5A (2022)
Hohner and Seydel Harmonicas (various keys)
"Heck, Jimmy Martin don't even believe in Santy Claus!"
Bookmarks